Rechargeable applicator for dispensing substances in a foam condition



United States Patent [72] Inventor Joseph Sunle- 400 S. Ware.- Rood, Ladue, Missouri 63124 [21] Appl. No. 698,465

[221 Filed Jan. l7, I9

[45] Patented Nov. 17,1910

[54] RECIIAIGEAILE APPLICATOI FOR DISPENSING SUBSTANCES IN A FOAM CONDITION 1 9 Ciel-e,- 8 Drawing Pip. [52] US. 128/261, 128/272 [51] Int. Cl. ..A61rn 37/00 [50] Field of l28/l72,

Search 173,184, 216.218.261.272, I73, 260; 222/55;- l4l/3, 7; 22013 Primary Examiner- Adele M. Eager Assistant Examiner-G. F. Dunne Attorney-Charles B. l'laverstock ABSTRACT: A rechargeable applicator fordispeiisingf sub stances in a foam or foamlike condition includingdispensing them into a body cavity or elsewhere including .a tubular holder member open at one end and partially closed at the opposite end, and a tubular applicator including a tubularhousing adapted to slide into the tubular holder, said housing having valve means normally resiliently biased closedat one end and constructed to cooperate with means on the partially closed end of the tubular holder and with valve means on an aerosol container when pressed thereagainst to open and in the case of the holder to dispense the contents thereof and in the case of the aerosol container to establish communication between the inside of the aerosol container and the inside of the applicator housing, piston means slidably and sealably positioned in the applicator housing and movable therein in a direction to permit the flow of material from the aerosol container into the applicator during a filling operation, and other means for moving the piston means in the applicator toward the valve means during a dispensing operation when the applicator is positioned in the tubular member.

Applicators of various kinds have been devised and used for dispensing many different substances including medicinal. and

other substances, and some of the known applicators have been designed and constructed particularly to dispense substances into body cavities. Some of the known applicators have alsobeen constructed to dispense substances in a foam or foamlike condition such for example as the applicator disclosed in applicants US. Pat. No. 3,220,4I3, dated Nov. 30, I965. The patented device is also constructed to cooperate with valve means on anaerosol container to receive therefrom a relatively uncompressed foam charge-which is dispensed from the applicator by pushing it out the open end thereof onto the place where it is to be applied. Other applicators have been devised for dispensing individual dosages ofproducts including some which employ individual precharged containers orcartridges having valve means which cooperate with means on a separate dispenser device. Such devices are not readily rechargeable by the user, they are messy and wasteful to use, they are expensive and inconvenient because they are not easily rechargeable, and the user must keep, a supply of charged cartridges on hand to avoidrunning out. Furthermore, prccharged cartridges tend to dissipate their charge and therefore have limited shelflife andfor these and other reasons such devices are unsuitable and unreliable for many purposes.

The present invention overcomes these and other disadvantages and shortcomings of the known devices and the construction and operation of anapplicator which can be recharged directly from an aerosol or other similar supply as required and to a condition such-that the pressure and condi-' tion of the charge in the applicator is at or near the same pressure and condition as exists in the aerosol container from teaches which it is charged. The subject applicator also includes means by which its charge can be dispensed directly in or on the area in which it is to be applied in a foam or foamlike condition without requiring: any intermediate steps, and without trapping or wasting any substantial portion of the substance in the process.

It is therefore a principal object of the present' invention to provide improved applicator means for dispensing substances and particularly substances in a foam or foam like condition.

Another object is to provide extremely accurate means for measuring dosages of a substance to be dispensedin a foam or foamlike condition.

Another object is to provide improved means for transferring accurately measured dosages under pressure from an aerosolcontainer to a dosage applicator.

Another object is to provide relatively simple, inexpensive applicator means for applying substances infoam or foamlike condition into a body cavity.

Another object is'to eliminate or substantially reduce'waste in the dispensing of substances and to make the application thereof less messy.

Another object is to overcome the shleflife problems associated with substances dispensed Inmeasured dosages.

Another object is to improve the properties of substances dispensed or applied in a foam condition.

Another object is to provide easilyand accurately rechargeable applicator nicans.

Another object is to provide applicator means which are relatively easy to clean and maintain.

These and other objects and advantages of the present applicator means will become apparent after considering the following detailcd specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawing,.wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view showing an aerosol container and an applicator for use therewith, said applicator being constructed according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, partly in section, showing the subject applicator in assembledcondition with'the applicator portion thereof positioned inside of a tubular holder member used in conjunction therewith;

dotted outline the filled or charged condition of the applicator and showing the empty condition thereof-in solid outline;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 6:'6,of FIG. 2; FIG. 7 is an enlarged crdss-sectional.view takencn line 7- -7 ofFlG.3;and,

FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 8-8 ofFIG. 4. 1

Referring to the drawing more particularly by reference I numbers, number 10 refers to an applicator device constructed according to the present invention. The applicator I0 is used in conjunction with a pressurized container such as the" aerosol container 12, and includes two main components including an outer tubular holder member 14 and ansapplicator" portion 16 which is positioned inside the holder l4 as shown in FIG. 2 when the applicator is dispensing J a substance therefrom. The holder member I4 has one fully open end. which is provided with an outwardly extending flange I8, and. the opposite end of the member I4 is partially closed by a curved wall portion 19 and an inwardly extending integralr flange portion 20 which extends part way into the member 14* as shown in FIGS. 2'and 5 and terminates in a small diameter tubular actuator portioit 22. The end of the portion 22 is also provided with one or more notches 23, and the portion 22 is important to the present applicator during a dispensing opera-- tion as will be shown. i

The applicator portion I6 of the subject device is constructed to be positioned in the'member 14 by sliding it in. from the open end; and the portion- I6 is formed of a tubular body 24 which has an endwardly extending flange portion 26' on one end. The flange portio'n26f has a reduced outer diameter which is defined in part by a shoulder 27 and the portion 26 receives a flanged valve housing'member 28 usually formed of metal. The housing 28 has an annular side wall which just. fits over the portion 26, and a bead 29 is formed in the side wall at a location to cooperate and sealably engage the shoulder 27 when the housing is forced thereon as shown in FIG. 4. A round resilient'valve member 30 is positioned inside the housing 28 in the position as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The valve member 30 has an annular peripheral bead portion 32'. which is positioned in abutment with the end surface of the. body portion 26, and the valve member 30 also has a round central valve portion 34 which is connected to the peripheral bead 32 by a web portion 36 which extends the'rebetween. The

web portion 36 has a plurality of spaced holes 38 therethrough' as shown in FIG. 8. When the housing 28 is installed on the end of the housing 24 the central valve portion 34 of the valve member 30 bears against the inner end of an annular tube portion 40 of the housing 28 to close the portion 40. This is the closed condition of the valve.

A cylindrical shaped plunger member 42 is slidably positioned inside the tubular body 24 and the plunger 42 has an annular outside groove 44 in which is positioned an O-ring 46'. The O ring 46 slidably and sealably engages an inner cylindrical surface 48 on the body 24 which surface extends from the valve end of the body 24 to a shoulder 50 located at an intermediate position. The shoulder 50 is provided to limit the distancethe plunger 42 can move away fr omrthe valve means by engagement thereof with O-ring 46 as shown in FIG. 4. The shoulde r 50 is formed at the junction between the cylindrical surface or bore 48 and a smaller diameter bore 52 in the body 24 which extends from the shoulder 50 longitudinally through the rest of the body. The smaller diameter bore 52 serves several purposes including guiding the plunger 42. The opposite end of the body 24 from the valve means-is threaded as shown in FIG. 3 to receive a threaded closure member 54.

An operator member56 is positioned extending through the closure member 54 into the body member 24 for engagement at one end with one end of the plunger 42. The member 56 is shown. constructed in two similar sections, one of which include's four similar radially extending wall portions 57 (FIGS. 3 and'7) which extend between spaced circular portions 58 and'60. The other section of the operator 56 is formed of four smaller radially extending wall portions which extend between the circular portion 60 and another circular portion 62 located outside of the body 24 at the free end of the operator member 56, The circular portion 58 at one end of the operator abuts one end of the plunger member 42, the circular portion 60 at an intermediate location of the member 56 is movable in the bore '52 and is large enough to engage a flange 64 on the closure member 54 to prevent the member 56 from accidentally coming out of the body 24, and the round portion 62 on the free end of the operator is the portion against which the operator applies pressure during a dispensing operation.

The portion of the applicator between the portions 60 and 62 is made smaller in diameter than the portion between the portions 58 and 60 so that it will freely move through the opening in the closure member 54. It is anticipated, however, that the construction of the operator member 56 can be varied widely from the particular form shown without departing from the invcntion. Many of the parts of the present applicator can also be constructed of relatively inexpensive substances such as plastic i To use the subject applicator, the applicator portion 16 is removed from thetubular holder 14 and the valve end thereof is placed in cooperative engagement with the valve portion 66 on the aerosol container 12 in the manner shown in FIG. 4. When so engaged sufficient downward pressure is applied on the applicator to open the valve means on the aerosol container and also to open the valve means on the applicator. This is accomplished by the upper tubular portion 68 of the aerosol valve means, which is notched at 70, and bears against the central portion 34 of the valve member 30 moving it upwardly out of engagement with the flange 40 on the valve housing 28 to establish communication between the inside of the aerosol container 12 and the inside of the applicator portion 16 below the plunger 42. This permits the contents of the aerosol container which are under pressure to flow out from the aerosol container through the valve means 66 and through the notches 70 therein into the chamber formed below the valve member 30. The substance then flows through the openings 38 in the valve member 30 into the chamber in which the plunger member 42 is positioned. By holding the'applicator in this position for a brief period of time, the contents of the aerosol container that are forced into the applicator will move against the plunger 42 forcing it to move upwardly in the tubular body 24 until O-ring 46 engages the shoulder 50 to prevent further movement. Even after this condition is reached the applicator should be held in the same position a moment longer to allow time for the pressure in the applicator to equalize itself to the pressure in the aerosol container. All of this takes a very short time. The applicator can then be removed from engagement with the valve means on the aerosol container and in so doing the pressure inside the applicator will force the valve 30 to immediately'reclose again engaging the end of the tubular portion 40. The valve means on the aerosol container will also immediately reclose in the usual way. The applicator now contains a precisely measured dosage or charge of the material which it received from the aerosol container, and this charge will exist in the applicator at approximately the same pressure as the pressure in the aerosol container. The amount of charge in the applicator, however, will depend upon the volume of the space in the applicator between the plunger member 42 when in its upper or filled position and the valve means thereon. This volume is accurately determined so that the applicator will always be charged to the accurate amount. Later on, when the charge in the applicator is to be dispensed, the applicator portion I6 is positioned inside of the tubular holder 14 as shown in H65. 2 and and when located to dispense in the desired location pressure is applied against the free circular end 62 of the operator member 56 and against the plunger member 42. This forces the central portion 34 of the valve member against the annular notched flange 22 on member 14 and opens the valve so that the charge in the applicator can escape through the end of the member 14. The charge escapes in part due to its pressurized condition in the applicator and in part due to the pressure applied to move the plunger 42 toward the valvehTh e movement of the operator 56 is illustrated by the dotted and solid outlines thereof in FIG. 5 and will be explained more in detail later,

It is important as aforesaid that when the subject applicator is being charged from an aerosol container that the charge in the applicator will be in a substantially liquified condition as it existed in the container and will include some of the propellant so that when the charge is expelled it will be expelled as though it were being expelled from the aerosol container in a foam or foamlike condition. This is to be distinguished from other applicators such as the one disclosed in applicant's U.S.

Pat. No. 3,220,413 which is charged by being filled with the product dispensed from an aerosol container but with the product in a noncompressed foam condition not in a pressurized andsubstantially liquified condition.

When the charged applicator portion 16 is positioned inside the outer tubular member 14 as mentioned above the valve end thereon cooperates with the flange portion 22 of the tubular member 14 in much the same way that the valve means cooperate with the tubular portions 68 on the aerosol container during charging of the applicator. During a dispensing operation the user holds the outer tubular member 14 between two fingers and places his thumb on the end of the operator member. The applicator is then aimed or inserted into a body cavity such as into a vagina or other cavity to adjacent the area where the contents are to be applied. While so positioned and held, pressure is applied by the thumb against the operator member 56. This pressure causes the flange 22 to move against and open the valve means and it also moves the plunger 42 toward the valve means. This combined action expells the contents of the applicator and leaves the applicator in very nearly empty condition. The construction and operation of the present device make it particularly suitable for applying medicinal and other products and represents an important improvement in this field because of the fact that the subject applicator, is so easily and accurately recharged without being dependent on product shelflife or loss of applicator pressure, and with little or no waste, Also if the applicator is not used immediately after being charged it can be restored to a charged condition should leakage occur simply by reapplying it to the aerosol container.

After the contents of the applicator have been expelled, the applicator portion 16 can be removed from the tubular holder 14 so that the parts can be disassembled and cleaned as required. Also after the applicator has been used the valve means automatically reclose to reseal the inside of the body 24. The O-ring 46 which is mounted on the plunger 42 also provides some cleaning action by slidably engaging the inner surface 48 of the member 24 during dispensing so that relatively little of the product remains trapped inside the applicator. This is a desirable condition.

lt'is. particularly important to the subject applicator that it is able to so accurately measure each dosage. This is possible as stated above because of the manner in which it is charged. This isnot true of any known rechargeable applicator all of which'rely on visual or some other form of inspection or sensing means to tell when they are filled to the desired level.

Thus there has been shown and described novel applicator means which are particularly suitable for applying products or substances in a foam or foamlike condition, which for many products including particularly medicinal and related products provides the best possible way of applying them. This is especially true of products to be applied or dispensed into body cavities where distribution and area coverage are so important. Many changes, modifications, alterations, and other uses and applications of the subject device will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering plicator.

this specification and theaccompanyingjdrawing. All such changes, modifications, alterations, and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention which is limited only by the claims which follow.

lclaim:

1. A dosage applicator comprising a tubular member closed at one end by normally closed valve means constructed to cooperate with outlet means on a pressurized container, a piston slidably and sealably positioned in said tubular member to define therewith and with the valve means expandable chamber means adapted to be substantially filled with liquified substance under pressure to be dispensed therefrom, said piston being movable inthe tubular member to a position spaced from the valve means a predetermined distance so that the expandable chamber is capable of storing a predetermined charge of the liquified substance under pressure, a dispensing holder constructed to receive and cooperate with said applicator when dispensing the contents thereof, said holder having means thereon engageable with the valve means on the applicator, and means for applying force against the piston in a against the outlet means on the pressurized container to establish communication between the expandable chamber and the inside of the pressurized container.

3. The dosage applicator defined in claim l'including means a to limit movement of the piston in the tubular member to con trol the amount of the substance that the chamber means will hold.

4. The dosage applicator defined in claim 1 wherein said holder is a tubular member open at one end to receive the applicator, the opposite end of the holder having .the means thereon that are engageable with the valve means on the ap- 5. A dosage applicator comprising a tubular member having valve means normally closing one end'thereof, other means positioned in the tubular member and spaced from the valve means to define therebetween a normally sealed closed chamber for containing and storing a predetermined quantity of a substance in a substantially liquified and pressurized condition therein, said other means being'sealably engageable with said tubular member and movable therein relative to the valve means to maintain the chamber in a sealed closed expandable condition so that the said predetermined quantity of the liquified and pressurized substance can be stored therein by introducing a pressurized chargethereinto through the valve means, a tubular dispensing holder open at one end to "receive said applicator therein, theopposite end of the tubular holder having means thereon positioned to ope'ratively engage the applicator valve means when the applicatoris positioned in the holder and moved thereagainst, and means for applying force on the applicator while positioned in the holder in a direction so that the means on the holder engageable by the therein under pressure comprising an. applicator including a tubular body having a piston slidably and sealably positioned therein, valve means normally closing one end of the body whereby said piston and said valve means define an expandable chamber in the body, said valve means being constructed plicator when pressed'the'reagai'ns't to establish communica:

'tion between the inside of the pressurized container and the said expandable chamber in the applicator so that the pressurized contents of the container will feed into the expandable chamber in a direction to expand the chamber by applying pressure against the piston in a direction to move the piston away from the valve means, the pressure of the substance moving into the expandable chamber equalizing itself to the pressure inside the container as the applicator fills and is charged, other means including a holder member adapted to receive the applicator, said holder member including means engageable with-the applicator valve means when said valve means are pressed thereagainst to open said valve means, and means for applying pressure on the valve means against the valve opening means on the holder while simultaneously moving the pistoninside the applicator toward the valve means. the combination of the opening of the applicator valve means, the pressurized condition of the contents of the applicator, and the force applied to move the piston operating to expel the contents of the applicator.

8. A rechargeable applicator comprising a tubular member having a piston slidably and sealably positioned therein, valve means closing one end of the tubular member whereby said piston and said valve means define an expandable chamber in the tubular member, operator means movable in said tubular member including an operator member having a portion engageable with the piston on the opposite side thereof from the valve means, another portion of said operator member extending from the tubular member for engagement by the user, the valve means on said one end ofthe tubular member being normally closed and being constructed to cooperatively engage outlet valve means on an aerosol container when pressed thereagainst to establish communication between the inside of the aerosol container and the expandable chamber in the ap plicator whereby the pressurized contents of the aerosol con tainer will move through the cooperating valve means into the expandable chamber to fill and charge the applicator while at the same time applying pressure on the piston in a direction to move the piston away from the valve means, the pressure in the expandable chamber equalizing itself to the pressure inside the'aerosol containerif the said condition of communication is maintained for a long enough time, and means for ex-v pelling the pressurized charge established in the applicator, said means including a holder adapted to cooperatively receive the applicator and including means engageable with the applicator valve means to open said valve means whenever the valve means are pressed thereagainst by sufficient operator force applied against the operator member, said operator member simultaneously applying force'against the piston in a direction to move the piston toward the applicator valve means.

9. A dosage applicator comprising a tubular member having means normally closing one end thereof, other means positioned in the tubular member and spaced from the valve means to define therebetween a normally sealed closed chamber for containing a substance in a substantially liquified and pressurized condition therein, a dispensing holder open at 1 one end to receive said applicator therein, the opposite end of the tubular holder having means thereon positioned to operatively engage the applicator valve means when the applicator is positioned in the holder and moved thereagainst, and means for applying force on the applicator while positioned in the holder in a direction so that'the means on the holder engageable by the applicator valve means open the said valve means so that the 7 contents of the applicator will be expelled therethrough, said applicator valve means including a housing member sealably engageable with the said one end of the tubular applicator member, said housing member having a tubular central portion that extends toward the sealed applicator chamber to a free end thereof, and a resilient valve member r 3,540,448 I g 7 8 positioned inside the housing between the housing member a valve portion normally resiliently biased into engagement and the end of the tubular member, said valve member having with the free end of the tubular housing portion.

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